Respiratory Syncytial Virus News

-- Dry, cold winter air may lead you to consider running a humidifier. But if you have allergies, the device may not be the best choice. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology offers this advice: Running a humidifier may promote mold and dust growth. Dust mites, a common cause of allergies, thrive in humid environments. Maintain a humidity level of between 30 percent and 40 percent to reduce dust mites. Regularly change and clean the filter in your humidifier to prevent mold growth. Also regularly clean the humidifier itself. Use demineralized or distilled water in your humidifier, which will help lessen bacteria and dust. Read more

-- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a contagious virus. Potentially serious among infants and older adults, it usually mimics symptoms of the common cold. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these preventive tips: Using warm water and soap, wash your hands frequently throughout the day. Wash for at least 20 seconds. Do not touch your mouth, nose, eyes or face with hands that have not just been washed. Do not share eating utensils or cups with someone who is sick. Avoid kissing or other close contact. When you cough or sneeze, use a tissue to cover your mouth or nose. Throw tissue away after use. If you are sick, stay home. Disinfect frequently touched items, such as doorknobs and toys. Read more

THURSDAY, Nov. 19, 2015 – An experimental drug shows promise as a treatment for a common and potentially serious illness known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine for RSV, which can be deadly for infants and the elderly. Kids are nine times more likely to die from this virus than from flu, the investigative team pointed out. The drug, dubbed ALS-008176 for now, was tested in a group of adults infected with RSV. It reduced the amount of virus and improved their symptoms, the researchers said. "These results highlight the drug's potential as a safe and effective therapy for managing clinical disease," said Dr. Matthew McClure, of San Francisco-based Alios BioPharma, Inc., the drug's maker. Whether it will have the same effect in vulnerable children or seniors remains to be seen, however. RSV causes wintertime epidemics of respiratory illness ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 4, 2015 – Another research team is reporting progress toward developing a vaccine to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common lung infection that can cause deadly complications in infants and the elderly. Scientists think a proven vaccine could still be years away. But the new findings add to a growing list of recent advances toward routine immunizations against the disease. "It's impressive," said vaccine researcher Mark Peeples, a professor of pediatrics at Ohio State University College of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. "I'm not sure it's going to be the best possible vaccine, but it shows a good response." RSV causes wintertime epidemics of respiratory illness in U.S. children. According to Peeples, virtually everyone is infected by the age of 2 and is re-infected repeatedly throughout life. In 2 percent to 5 percent of cases, however, ... Read more

TUESDAY, Aug. 25, 2015 – The clothing of parents and visitors may spread dangerous respiratory infections to infants in an neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), a Australian study suggests. Four percent of swabs taken from the personal clothing of caregivers and visitors in the NICU at Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney had detectable respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), researchers found. RSV is the leading cause of respiratory-related hospitalizations among premature babies, the researchers said. The investigators also found RSV on 9 percent of high-touch areas in the NICU, including nurses' computers, chairs next to infants' beds and bed rails. RSV was not detected on the hands of doctors, nurses or visitors in the NICU. "Though the detection rate is low, personal clothing of caregivers/visitors do get contaminated with RSV," study author Nusrat Homaira, of the University of New South ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 12, 2015 – Researchers report they are closer to finding a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common illness that few recognize by name but one that's a major cause of lower respiratory infection in babies and the elderly. Two new studies of the same vaccine combination, one involving people, don't prove that it will work in humans. Still, "they certainly do offer hope for the development of vaccines," said Dr. Peter Openshaw, a senior investigator at the National Institute for Health Research in London, England. Openshaw was not involved in the study, but is working on potential vaccines for the disease. RSV is the most common cause of severe respiratory illness in infants, experts say. "Nearly all children are infected with the virus by 2 years of age," said Geraldine Taylor, a researcher with The Jenner Institute Laboratories in Oxford, England, and ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 25, 2015 – Young children are at increased risk of becoming seriously ill with pneumonia – but unlike in years past, the cause is usually a respiratory virus, a large U.S. study finds. The researchers found that 66 percent of pneumonia cases in the more than 2,000 children in the study were caused by viruses alone. Just 8 percent had solely bacterial causes, and 7 percent were known to be caused by both bacteria and viruses. And, those infections can end up being serious, the study authors said. "Pneumonia is one of the most common causes of hospitalizations among children," said the study's lead author, Dr. Seema Jain, a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pneumonia is a general term for an infection of the lungs, and it can be caused by a range of viruses, bacteria or even fungi. The disease is often thought of as a problem ... Read more

THURSDAY, Aug. 21, 2014 – An experimental drug shows promise in treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of pneumonia in infants, researchers report. "We are finally making major progress in being able to treat human RSV infections – the world's second leading cause of serious viral pneumonia, second only to influenza virus," said study author Dr. John DeVincenzo, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. "There is no current treatment or vaccine for RSV pneumonia, and so patients were previously forced to get over the virus by themselves," he said. RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the United States, the researchers noted. In this small study of 140 adults, the drug, dubbed GS-5806, reduced the amount of the virus in the systems of those who received the medication. "For the first time, we ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, May 8 – Many pre-term babies suffer recurrent episodes of wheezing. Now, researchers say a common infection is a likely culprit and they may be able to prevent the breathing problems. Wheezing episodes in late pre-term babies often are caused by infection with the respiratory synctial virus (RSV), the researchers said. And they've found that injections of an expensive RSV medication can prevent the virus – and the wheezing. A study of more than 400 babies born late pre-term (between 33 and 35 weeks' gestation) found that days with wheezing dropped by more than 60 percent among those who received injections of palivizumab during RSV season. The effect lasted even after treatment ended. "In pre-term babies, RSV illnesses seem to be a risk factor for wheezing, and this treatment reduced that risk," said Dr. Robert Lemanske Jr., a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the ... Read more

THURSDAY, March 22 – Many pediatric hospital admissions involve a common virus that infects the lungs and airways and can lead to serious illness in young children and people with weakened immune systems, an expert says. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of bronchiolitis – an inflammation of the small airways in the lungs – in infants younger than a year old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "This is an extremely contagious virus, so it can easily be spread from one child to another in a school or home setting. We continue to see a large amount of kids being admitted to the hospital this year due to RSV. Though it often peaks in winter, the virus may continue to affect communities through early spring," Dr. Rahul Bhatia, a pediatric intensive care unit physician at Loyola University Health System, said in a Loyola news release. ... Read more

TUESDAY, May 10 – Vitamin D supplements for pregnant women may help prevent a respiratory disease called RSV that can lead to pneumonia and other potentially life-threatening illnesses in newborns, Dutch researchers report. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of pneumonia and inflammation of the lower airways (bronchiolitis) in infants in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While most children recover, many are hospitalized and develop respiratory problems that persist well into childhood. "We have no treatment for RSV. The only thing we can do is try to prevent the disease," said lead researcher Dr. Louis Bont, from the department of pediatric infectious diseases at Wilhelmina Children's Hospital and University Medical Center in Utrecht. One way to prevent RSV is for pregnant women to take supplemental vitamin D, ... Read more

FRIDAY, April 16 – As many as 200,000 children under age 5 die worldwide each year because of acute lower-respiratory tract infections caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a new study finds. The researchers called for new prevention and treatment strategies to reduce this major cause of death in young children. The Scottish team analyzed available data and concluded that in 2005 there were 33.8 million new episodes of RSV-associated acute lower-respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) among children under age 5 (22 percent of all ALRI cases). At least 3.4 million of the cases among those children were severe and required hospital admission, and an estimated 66,000 to 199,000 of the children died, with 99 percent of the deaths occurring in developing countries. The case fatality ratio (the proportion of hospitalized children who die) among children in high-income countries was ... Read more

THURSDAY, Dec. 24 – A lipid found in the lungs appears to have the ability to prevent infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is a major cause of infection in babies and can also be dangerous for adults with chronic lung diseases and conditions such as HIV, researchers report. The lipid, known as POPG, seems to help the lungs do a better job of keeping irritants out, according to the new study. "Our findings demonstrate that POPG is a potent antiviral agent both as a prophylactic and after infection has occurred," said study co-author Dennis Voelker, a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver. "While these are still early studies, several characteristics of POPG make me believe that it has real potential as both an antiviral and anti-inflammatory treatment." POPG – palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol – is found in the fluid that lines the lungs' air ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 4 – It's called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a childhood infection that's responsible for one of every 13 visits to a pediatrician, and one of every 38 emergency room trips, a new study found. What's more, the virus is to blame for inpatient hospital stays for one out of every 334 children. And, it's not just kids with underlying lung disease or immune system deficiencies – the virus strikes healthy children, too. "Although we've known for a long time that RSV is highly contagious and that RSV is the most important cause of lower respiratory tract infections in young children, this study gives us an idea of how common RSV infections are in the various age groups," said the study's lead author, Dr. Caroline Hall, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York. Hall said that the incidence of RSV, ... Read more